Promise
by Gazlover12-Canada
Summary: Francis must explain the concept of death to a young Arthur. Big brother France, little England one-shot!


Francis Bonnefoy quickly made his way through the thick woods. The summer weather made it much too hot, and the nation found himself wiping sweat from his forehead every few minutes. He was on his way to find Arthur. It had been a few days since he'd last seen the little one, and Francis wanted to make sure he was finding food and staying safe. It was his job as a big brother after all, since Scotland, Ireland, and Wales never bothered to care for the toddler.

He was headed towards the creek, which was usually where the English nation stayed during the hot days. It was perfect because the water was quite shallow, but fun to sit in and cool off. Francis figured he could cool off as well, and then spend the day with his favorite little boy. He even carried a basket full of his delicious French foods that he knew Arthur loved.

When he arrived at the creek, sure enough the child was waiting for him. His green cloak was discarded, leaving only a small white tunic that reached just below his knees. In his arms was his favorite wild bunny, named "Bunny" most creatively.

"Francis, I's waiting for you!" He greeted him rather frantically. "Something's wrong with Bunny. I think he's sick."

"Hmm? Let me take a look," The teenage nation offered. He wasn't really an animal person, but he would do his best. He knew that Bunny was one of Arthur's favorite companions. When Arthur came close enough to Francis and held the rabbit out, Francis instantly realized what had happened and he shivered.

The bunny was completely limp, and not breathing either. Francis reached out to touch the animal and instantly recoiled. The body was cold and stiff, yet the eyes were open wide and were glassy, staring straight ahead.

"I tried to make him better, but he won't move. He feels all cold too, but even if I hug him he not be warm. What's wrong with Bunny, Francis?"

The elder teenage nation breathed out a long sigh. Of course Arthur was too young to understand the concept of death. He himself didn't even completely get it. All Francis knew was this it would break his heart to tell the eager eyed little toddler that his best bunny friend would never hop again.

"Mon cher, put Bunny down for a moment and come sit with me," He said gently, easing himself down onto the soft earth next to the soothing creek. Arthur looked like he didn't want to part with the animal, but he complied and came over to snuggle up close to his 'big brother's' side. Francis pulled him into his lap and buried his nose in Arthur's soft hair, which smelled like earth and wind.

"Bunny….well, he's moved on to another place."

"But he's there," Arthur pointed towards the lifeless animal next to them. "See?"

"His body is here, yes, but not his soul."

Upon seeing the child's confused face, Francis decided to take a different route.

"Bunny has been with you a long time, no?"

"Since I can 'member," Arthur answered, and his face morphed into worry. "What's wrong with Bunny Francis?"

"Bunny was very old, and so he decided to go to sleep forever. You see, he died. That means he's in a better place now, but he cannot be here with us ever again."

Shocked green eyes widened even further. "W-What?"

"Oh mon cher," The elder nation sighed. "I wish I could fix it, but death is a natural thing. It happens to everyone."

Arthur was silent. He looked back at Bunny, and then looked down at his hands. Francis could clearly hear him sniffling and his heart felt heavy. Why was he the one who had to explain these sort of things? Unfortunately it wasn't as if any other nations would take care of and look after the poor little boy. If his brothers didn't even make sure he was fed then they certainly wouldn't explain death properly to him. But it was something he had to learn. As a nation, Arthur would see a lot of death in the future. It was one of the many curses they as immortals bore.

"Angleterre, let us make a grave for Bunny. We can bury him by the river and pick wild flowers to place atop his resting spot. Would you like that?"

Arthur nodded, and together they dug a moderately deep hole in the fresh earth. When it came time to place the rabbit in the grave, Arthur stood back and refused to touch the dead creature, which was beginning to attract the attention of flies. Francis really didn't want to touch it either, but he was forced to pick up the animal with the tips of his fingers and hurriedly put it into the hole. When the dirt was packed back in and the animal was fully buried, he took Arthur's hand and smiled.

"Do you have something you would like to say to Bunny?"

Arthur clutched at Francis' hand tightly but shook his head. He hadn't yet spoken a word since they'd began burying him, and it was starting to worry the older nation. Francis sighed, but let it go for now. Together they picked a wad of flowers and lay over the freshly packed dirt. The sun was beginning to go down, and Francis knew his boss would start to worry if he didn't leave.

"Arthur, I must be going now. Would you like to come stay the night with me?"

His answer was to be crushed into a tight hug. Arthur was crying again, sniffing loudly and trying to say something through choked up words. Francis managed to calm him, crouching down to put both hands on his shoulders.

"Tell me what's wrong Arthur," He pleaded. Was he really this upset over a bunny? He had been quite close to the animal, but something else was wrong here.

"A-Are you going to d-die Francis?"

Oh.

That came as a bit of a shocker. He felt his heart speed up a little as he rushed to assure the younger child.

"Oh mon cher, no, no, no! I'm not going anywhere, I promise!"

Arthur wailed. "But...But you said everyone dies!"

"We're different Arthur! We're nations!" Francis said quickly. Of course he knew that it was probably possible for a nation to die, but also extremely difficult. This was so hard to explain. Arthur really was just a little baby compared to other countries. Francis wanted to always be there to love and take care of him, but he knew one day Arthur would understand his status as a nation and things would be different.

"Promise? Promise you won't die?"

Francis clutched him tightly. "I promise. I'll always be here for you. I love you more than anything mon petit bébé."

As the moon rose high in the clear starry sky, the two nations wept together.

FIN

**Please review and give me your thoughts! :)**


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